The Polish League Against Defamation has been supporting the Association of Families of Cursed Soldiers and family members of the Unbroken Soldiers in their fight for their good name. The purpose of the support is to counteract false, hurtful opinions and alleged facts about their activities posted, by former MP Joanna Senyszyn, on social media.
The hearing, which took place yesterday, is another to highlight the inappropriateness of the posts made by Prof. Senyszyn, made on Twitter, now the X portal, insulting and defaming the memory of soldiers of the anti-communist underground. The harmfulness of the entries is particularly significant, as they were published by a well-known person who, as a member of parliament, professor, as well as a didactician, introduced untrue information into the public space, not only failing to identify specific individuals, but distorting the historical truth. These entries, for the plaintiffs, were intrinsically damaging, as through generalization and impersonal character they insulted brave, righteous, life-sacrificing soldiers, to whom traits and actions unrelated to themselves were attributed, and ultimately also hit their families.
In her statements, the professor has committed a number of wickednesses, including attributing to the Cursed Soldiers, a formation that continued the fight against the Soviets and communist authorities after 1944, the worst characteristics of war criminals. In addition, the former MP demands the abolition of the holiday – National Day of Remembrance of the Cursed Soldiers, established by the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (by the votes of various political formations) and sanctioned by the signature of President Bronislaw Komorowski.
The legitimacy of this holiday is all the greater because the Cursed Soldiers are most often anti-communist activists who fought against the regime, and their struggle was associated not only with the use of weapons, but also with intelligence activities, aimed against the Soviet occupier and communist authorities. It is also worth noting that this formation was repressed by the communist authorities, who destroyed the memory of the Cursed Soldiers, making attempts to erase them from public memory and constructing a narrative as if these soldiers were bandits.
Diversionary activities against the communist regime, torture, and the consequent permanent damage to the health of many of those who fought, require respect and remembrance of the struggle undertaken against the regime, and cannot be presented in a ridiculous manner, causing great harm to the victims and their families. In addition, through the authority of the defendant, representatives of the younger generation often accept such information as true and historically accurate, so posting such entries on public portals is not only inappropriate, but also provides an opportunity for discussion, which is often based on emotions and subjective perception of events, rather than facts.
Yesterday, 22.04.2024, another hearing was held by the District Court in Gdansk from a lawsuit by the Association of Families of Cursed Soldiers and family members of Unbroken Soldiers, supported by the Polish League Against Defamation, at which Joanna Senyszyn testified. During the hearing, the defendant reaffirmed her previous position. She indicated that the Cursed Soldiers committed murders, robberies, rapes and these are, in her opinion, proven incidents. She conveyed that the purpose of her publication was to educate the public on the issue, and this is all the more legitimate since she has received, as she claims, many very positive reactions following her posts. According to Professor Senyszyn, most people have the same opinion as her and support her rhetoric used in her statements and social media posts. Throughout the process, Joanna Senyszyn used the phrase “so-called” Cursed Soldiers while indicating that she is in favor of completely abolishing the March 1 holiday commemorating the heroes.
Listening to the defendant’s statements, it is important to note the legitimacy of the lawsuit filed, due to the defendant’s maintenance of her position, her lack of reflection despite having already held several hearings at which people affected by the posted entries were questioned, as well as her arrogance and subsequent disgraceful statements. The defendant’s references continue to insult Cursed Soldiers, they have not been liberalized, and we have even heard admiration for her own work, which allegedly has a wide circle of admirers. From the statements made, it is clear that Professor Senyszyn’s views and approach are unlikely to change, and the absence of the lawsuit in question would most likely lead to the further spread of the slander that has been uttered.
The memory of Cursed Soldiers, people who often sacrificed their lives fighting for an independent Poland, is of utmost importance to us, which is why, as the Polish League Against Defamation, we support the Association of Families of Cursed Soldiers to prevent the spread of such lies. The opinions publicly expressed by Joanna Senyszyn are hurtful not only to the family members of these soldiers, but also to all Poles. Such actions are reprehensible and unacceptable. We must do everything we can to defend the good name of these heroes, especially since this is not about a few people. The Cursed Soldiers are a partisan, independence anti-communist movement of 120-180,000 people. Also called Unbroken soldiers, they resisted the Sovietization of Poland and its subordination to the USSR, and fought against the USSR security services and their subordinates in Poland.
Therefore, we will fight to the very end for justice and an end to the spreading of these offensive opinions and shameful lies. If the fight for the good name of heroes is also important to you, please support us in this court battle. The hearing has been adjourned until September 3, 2024. Every donation you make is an invaluable help, enabling the RDI to continue its mission of defending the truth and the good name of Poland and Polish heroes. Thanks to your support, we can act effectively and in solidarity and continue to fight for the good name of the Cursed Soldiers, defending historical truth and the memory of the sacrifice of those Polish heroes who fought for the freedom of the Fatherland, often making the supreme sacrifice – their own lives – for this.
We are confident that together with you we will be able to achieve success. To make this a reality, we need your financial support. After all, our activities depend on the funds we receive, so now we ask for your help all the more. Although we realize that the road to justice may be bumpy and difficult, we believe that with your generosity we will be able to overcome any financial challenges associated with this case.
